Adam from the Notre-Dame of Paris, inner wall of the south transept façade

Adam
Paris, c. 1260
Polychromous stone
H. 2
Notre-Dame de Paris
Cl. 11657

This statue is one of the masterpieces of gothic sculpture. Adma was originally on the exterior facade of the south transept, with a statue of Eve. The two framed the figure of Christ at the Last Judgement. The statue of Adam had kept an incredible freshness despite a few restorations. These mainly involved the lower part of the legs and the right arm; the right hand originally held an apple. Medieval art rarely depicts a life-size nude, even more infrequently a larger-than-life like this statue of Adam, which stands over 2 metres tall. Its creator was no doubt inspired by antiquity in his reproduction of the figure's somewhat relaxed pose, with one leg forward, but Adam's supple and excessively long body is definitely a medieval art creation. The artist made a point of including detailed anatomical realism in his sculpture, as with the clavicles and ribs above the abdomen and the veins in the hands.